Customer Reviews

Wild Planet

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There's no way I could forget how captivated I was when I first heard WILD PLANET, and how impressed I was again by the B52s sound: it was part pop, part surf, part 60s, part "Monster Mash". Like the first album, this one had me hooked from the first listen. Words cannot express how in awe I was of Fred's Jersey-tinged, slightly effeminate bark, and Cindy and Kate's esoteric harmonies. And the songs, a little more varied this time, were each incredible. The two songs which featured Kate and Cindy, "Dirty Back Roads" and "Give Me Back My Man" are incredible experiments in harmonies. Ricky Wilson's under-appreciated guitar work scorches through "Runnin' Around", "Devil In My Car" and, of course, "Private Idaho". "Strobe Light" has Fred at his most manic. The album ends with the hypnotic "53 Miles West of Venus", which, to me, echoes back to the first album's "Planet Claire".

WILD PLANET is wild fun. Accept their invitation to a "Party Out of Bounds", even if the place smells of "House-A-Tosis".

If you were stuck on a desert island you want to make sure you bring this CD. Just about every song here makes you wanna dance. Some great memories with the B's. Truly one of the cornerstone bands of the New Wave era with a style that will never be duplicated. A must have for any 80's or even punk fan. Strobe light is one of my favs. 5 stars! Go get it!

Well, chalk up another planet in Star System B-52 (the first one was Planet Claire). The second planet after Claire is Wild Planet, and also the second album by the Athens, GA (then) quintet. On their second go-around, the B-52's still have the punchy, kitschy/positive/optimistic surf guitar sound and attitude that made their debut an unqualified hit.

Here's my piece in describing Wild Planet's nine satellites. Fred Schneider's "Surprise!" is the first word of "Party Out Of Bounds." Kate and Cindy then ask for the ice box and punch, and there's the party started, right there. "Private Idaho" is Wild Planet's "Rock Lobster," being Wild Planet's most well-known track. Ricky Wilson's guitar keeps the pace. "You're living in your own private Idaho/On a ground like a wild potato." This is another on the short list for a party mix-tape should "Rock Lobster" not be available for any reason.

For sheer jamming, nothing beats "Devil In My Car" and "Strobe Light." The first is a funny song on a car possessed by the devil. The saying "Drive like hell and you will get there" comes to mind. Anyway, the hapless narrator can't lock the door, or put on my safety belt and is going 90 mph. He thus cries out "Help! The devil's in my car!" The humor's very kitschy, with devilish motifs such as "I don't wanna go to hell" and "I don't need no batteries/I've got the devil in my car."

"Strobe Light" is a seduction number, focusing on making love under the title appliance. No one sings about kissing body parts and responding to the same as Fred and the girls, respectively. When he gets to a very personal part of his date's body, he uses a euphemism that's the same as a certain large fruit. A shrill synthesizer blasts in response.

"Quiche Lorraine" deserves mention here, about a man and his dog, Quiche the poodle. The dog runs away after a German Shepherd, leaving the man broken-hearted and vindictive for being abandoned. In addition to backing vocals, Kate or Cindy provides Quiche's sharp barks. Given the description of Quiche, whose body is dyed dark green, who is two inches tall with a strawberry blonde ball, sunglasses and a bonnet, and designer jeans with appliques on, I wonder, isn't that dog somewhat overdressed? Sounds like an SPCA case to me, but at least the song's funny.

"53 Miles West Of Venus" is another one of their space songs. The lyrics are very simple--you figure it out. Hmm, I wonder if that's the hyperspatial wormhole distance between Wild Planet and Venus.

With the exception of the mid-paced "Dirty Back Road," the pace doesn't let up.

It was a friend's party, senior year in high school, a hot June night after graduation 1980. A girl I knew arrived in a black cat-suit, dominatrix boots, and a purple telephone extension cord wrapped around her slim waist as a belt. I kissed somebody--I don't remember who. And this crazy, goofball tune pounded away on the host's JVC...

"Has anybody seen/ a dog dyed dark green?"

People seemed to know "Rock Lobster" from the year before. I guess I'd missed it. But listening to this album a week later, I found other tunes stuck out more, and one's stayed with me ever since. "Give Me Back My Man" is remarkable, and I don't care how dorky that word sounds in connection to the B-52's. The guitar work--a lonesome drone in a minor key--builds with the plaintive vocals to a hypnotic climax that's sublime--the ultimate woman's crie de coeur. Did I just say that? Yup.

Equally good, though more expansive, is "53 Miles West of Venus". The 50's Sputnik kitch aside, this song succeeds for the same reason "Give Me Back" does--stacatto guitars in a minor key, with wailing female voices pushing the limits of "harmony". Fantastic. It's all here--the humor, the silliness hiding a quirky musicality not unlike Gang of Four. Fantastic, too, to come back to them in adulthood. Some things are too serious to be left to the serious. Give me back my bouffant!

I can't even say how much I love this tape. "Devil in my Car," "Party out of bounds" and the uncharacteristically dreamy "Dirty Back Road" are the best tracks in my opinion. Silly, yet well-thought out pop gems. My husband does not like the B's and I can't imagine why I married him-- oh well, he cooks.

I was 15 years old. I was gay and didn't know it. Today proud of it but don't fit into any scene, even from living in nyc for 13 years.

I went to my friend's party. Loved music, came armed with my latest vinyl. Dropped it when one girl (lisa) slapped this on the turntable. 'party out of bounds' made me rethink everything i knew before.

i loved pop, i loved big production, i loved punk, i loved girl groups, i loved surf...
on one side of a record i heard all of it. and... something more important

i was raised to move out of the south, and here were interesting people making hot music (compass point, grace jones, sly and robbie i find later... mmmmm...)

for the first time i was proud of where i was from. it's a really important moment when lisa said: 'take the album you love it' i spent a few weeks in b52 therapy understanding i could be myself, be an idiot, be intelligent... and friggin rock...

pass this record on to our children and godchildren... there are things to learn out of silliness... it's all much deeper after first listen!

thanks

Emerging from the rubble of the disco era were the B-52s, a unique dance/punk group out of Athens, Georgia. With the beehive hairdos, cheezy Farfisa organ, the punk-rap-schtick delivery of front man Fred Schneider, the B-52s were/are a refreshing change of pace from the robotic disco beat.

20 years later, "Wild Planet" is still a joyful mix of party/dance tunes. Personal favorites - "Quiche Lorraine" (about a dyed-dark-green 2-inch poodle), party song "Strobe Light," space epic "53 Miles West of Venus," and the manic, immortal "Private Idaho." (As the official song of the "Idaho Steelheads" hockey team, it still gets much airplay, at least in these parts.) 34:52 of music.

The follow up to the phenomenally successful debut album was an even better effort from the B-52s released in the fall of 1980. Though it lacked a breakout blockbuster song like "Rock Lobster", their second LP was more solid and consistent and contained no "throw-away" tracks like "Downtown".

"Party Out of Bounds" opens with the sound of breaking glass and lets us know the B's are back in town and ready to party. Kate hoots her way through the track while Cindy asks "Where's the punch?" with just the right amount of blase in her tone, and Fred explains the chaos that happens when party crashers descend upon your house.

"Dirty Back Road" is a rather low-key change-of-pace offering and is surprisingly my favorite track on the whole album. Kate and Cindy's vocals blend perfectly together like milk and honey while the cleverly suggestive lyrics seem to refer to "back-door" sex.

"Running Around" features amazing guitar work from the late Ricky Wilson and is the kind of retro-pop '60s music that seems to have inspired the Austin Powers franchise, et al.

"Give Me Back My Man" has Cindy on lead with a slightly ominous bassline and ends with her anguished wails accompanied by hypnotic chimes.

"Private Idaho" kicks off what was Side 2 in the old days of vinyl and is probably the second best track. From Kate's hooty opening to the Twilight-Zone inspired riff right before the chorus, to Ricky's surf-rock guitar licks right after, Keith's machine-gun drumming and Cindy's "I-I-I-da-ho", this song's a winner and will stay in your head for days.

"Devil In My Car" is another rowdy number but not one of my favorites.

"Quiche Lorraine" is Fred's hilarious mid-tempo tale of a fickle poodle who deserts it's owner for a Great Dane. The lyrics are ridiculous but they help make the song as memorable and good as it is.

"Strobe Light" is another rousing track that will stay with you for days. It has a memorable start-and-stop structure, and call-and-response between Fred and the girls.

"53 Miles West of Venus" is perhaps the weakest track but still enjoyable in its own right and an effective closer. It has the same celestial vibe as "Planet Claire" but isn't quite as spooky or innovative.

This is the perfect party CD for anyone over 40, or one you should pop in your car to make any road trip enjoyable.

While I also recommend the "yellow" album that preceded this one, the "red" album will always be my favorite from this amazing Atlanta quintet.

The B-52's kept the party going with this one, and kept everyone on their feet. A wild ride, fun fun fun till the sun came up. Great dance and party music!

Does it get any better than the The B-52s' 1980 follow up of their classic debut? ... From the frantic opening track, PARTY OUT OF BOUNDS, to the trance inducing closer, 53 MILES WEST OF VENUS, WILD PLANET is one party that just doesn't quit. The band comes up aces on this one by deftly blending rock, disco, new-wave and punk into their own unique high octane cocktail.
Gems are truly across the board on this outing. DIRTY BACK ROAD is a perfect ditty that features a Kate and Cindy harmony in front of a snaky rythmn courtesy of Ricky Wilson's genius guitar and Keith Strickland's rock steady beat. RUNNIN' AROUND has all the urgency and drama that only frontman Fred Schnieder can serve up and gives the tune a raw punky feel to it. Other highlights are the hilarious ...STROBELIGHT and the Twilight Zone borrowed, forever hip, PRIVATE IDAHO.
One of the biggest gems among all these diamonds, however, is the Cindy Wilson showcase, GIVE ME BACK MY MAN. On this track the band truly shines. Cindy's vocals run an admirably wide gamut between seduction and desperation while Kate Pierson's keyboard bass solidly anchors a tune that could only be described as a ballad from Neptune.
So do yourself a favor and hijack a rocketship and get to WILD PLANET. It's the best party you've never been to.